This application requests funds to support the purchase of instrumentation capable of carrying out amino acid analysis of proteins and peptides and synthesizing peptides. These will form new components of our current multi-user, multi-disciplinary molecular biology facility. Core users with federal grant support will immediately benefit, since the research projects of these investigators representing all three academic divisions of the School of Basic Life Sciences are at points where access to the requested equipment is critical for efficient progress. The availability of this instrumentation will expedite the study of. 1. Molecular structure and function of proteins in solution and in membranes; 2. Proteoglycan turnover in bone-forming cells; 3. Intracellular protein traffic and protein engineering; 4. Regulation of expression of heart acetylcholinesterase; 5. Enzyme semi-synthesis; 6. Variant forms of histones; 7. Lysophospholipids and synaptic membrane function; 8. Protein-DNA interactions in viruses; 9. GABA/benzodiazepine receptors; 10. Histidine-rich glycoprotein function; 11. heme-binding transport proteins. All these projects would benefit by the ready availability of instrumentation for rapid and reliable analysis of amino acids in peptides and proteins and for synthesizing peptides. No such instrumentation is presently available at this institution, or even in the Kansas City area. This School recently started significant new research programs in molecular biology, biochemistry and neurobiology, and the university is making a substantial commitment to these new activities by providing renovated space, technical support personnel, ancillary equipment and part of the operational expenses for the long term lifetime of this facility.